Letters to the Editor

Monday, 11 June 2012

Op-Ed: Smoke This! NB

By Lawrence Wuest

Given the government’s fixation with the shale gas industry,
I am constantly reminded of adolescents faced with the everyday temptations to
try some seductive new experience about which they know little or nothing of
the risks and consequences. There is also an adolescent mentality that refuses
to accept personal vulnerability to the scientifically documented risks of the
seductive pleasures tempting their teenage passions.

So it is with New Brunswick, especially with those
adolescents whom we see bickering daily in the hallowed chambers of the
provincial legislature. There is a constant denial of reality, a constant
acceptance of industry ladled prattle on the inadequacy of the science
documenting the environmental, health and long-term ECONOMIC costs of the gas
industry.

A prime example is the government’s refusal to move beyond
accusing the anti-shale gas lobby of depending solely on a “Hollywood Style
Documentary” to counter industry claims about the safety of the shale gas
industry. Perhaps, Premier “Wallboard” should open his eyes, ears and mind
because the anti-shale gas lobby has tabled more science than the shale gas
industry, government and assorted media have assembled combined.

The June 3rd Forum in Moncton was a good example
of government manipulation of the shale gas issue. The talking heads at the
conference seemed oblivious to the fact that:

·
- Exporatory wells in the heart of gas country at
Elgin, drilled by Apache in 2010, produced no gas of economic promise,
prompting drilling giant Apache to withdraw from further drilling in the
province

·- Exporatory wells in the heart of gas country at
Elgin, drilled by Corridor Resources in 2011, produced no gas of economic
promise, leading to a drop in Corridor stock from $7.80 to $0.60 in the last
year.

·
- After 2+ years of seismic testing, SWN has yet
to show one map or estimate of the location, quality or quantity of gas
anywhere in New Brunswick. SWN stock has fallen from $48.70 to $26.00 over the
last year. I am not sure what investor in SWN stock would want the company
investing an additional $20 Million in an iffy venture like New Brunswick. If
New Brunswick politicians are still buying this snake oil, investors are not.

The last point about which the government is saying little
is that given recent comments by company spokesmen, SWN will undoubtedly
default on its license agreement with NB to spend $45 Million in the three
years ending this year. Is the government going to give this company an
exemption, based on a promise to spend the remaining $20 Million in 2013 or
2014 or whenever SWN can get it together? Is the government going to pin its
economic hopes on the whim of SWN to decide if and when it will invest the
remainder of its promised investment, just to see if, by some miracle, gas
turns up? NB has been, and continues to be, a rube for this company’s
investment game.

Moreover, the government has been unable to produce one
shred of evidence that it has conducted a Health Impact Assessment of this
industry, let alone an analysis of the economic cost of those health impacts.
The talking heads at Moncton seemed to have had their heads placed firmly in
the sand on this issue. Economists talking economics without reference to the
biggest segment of the provincial budget does not speak highly of their
competence.

The shale gas industry is not the answer to New Brunswick’s
economic woes, and to dwell on the bogus promise of this industry, and to spend
more useless dollars on saving face when the economic handwriting is clearly on
the wall, speaks to the immature nature of this government and its foot
soldiers. It is time for innovative and creative thinking on energy. Does this
government have the capacity? Thus far, they have not shown it.

Lawrence Wuest is a sculptor and forest ecologist from Stanley, NB.
He has a background in spatial analysis and GIS mapping and was a
participant in the Working Committee on Ecological Land Classification
within New Brunswick. He is a frequent critic of the province's
Environmental Impact Assessment process. He is assisting the Concerned
Citizens of Penobsquis in documenting the impact of mining-induced
subsidence in their community.

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